Verstappen snatches Suzuka pole in dramatic fashion to deny McLarens

Max Verstappen pulled off a last-minute stunner in qualifying to claim pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris by a razor-thin margin of just 0.012 seconds.

Drivers with 4 straight poles at Suzuka:

• Max Verstappen (2022-2025)
• Sebastian Vettel (2009-2012)
• Michael Schumacher (1998-2002)

A driver’s circuit. pic.twitter.com/TYGcFE0Xil

— Daniel Valente 🏎️ (@F1GuyDan) April 5, 2025

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The reigning world champion delivered a flawless final lap at Suzuka, denying Norris what would have been his second career pole. Norris will start alongside Verstappen on the front row, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri will line up third.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured fourth, followed by the two Mercedes cars, with George Russell in fifth and Kimi Antonelli impressively taking sixth.

Red Bull junior Isaac Hajjar grabbed seventh, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who will start eighth.

In a notable moment for the home fans, Yuki Tsunoda made his first qualifying appearance as a Red Bull driver but could only manage 15th. In a twist of irony, the man he replaced at Red Bull, Liam Lawson, outqualified him and will start 14th.